Help your child make an informed next step
When your child is accused, the immediate question may be whether they can come home. The next may be what an interview, program, or plea will mean. Miller & Jacobs helps Fort Lauderdale families address those decisions while defending the allegation.
Bring us the court notice, school letter, or officer’s request. We identify the next deadline, explain your child’s rights, and review the evidence before recommending a response.
Free consultation. Let us know if your child is detained or a hearing is approaching.
Serving Fort Lauderdale from our Pompano Beach office
Both partners previously served as Assistant State Attorneys
Firm-reported jury trials across both partners' careers
A partner handles each accepted matter
Keep the decisions separate
An interview request
Before your child gives an account, ask a lawyer to review the request and the circumstances. A conversation described as an opportunity to explain can still produce evidence. Save the caller’s name, agency, messages, and proposed meeting time. If your child has already spoken, preserve what you know without rehearsing a new version with them.
A school response
A school’s discipline process and a delinquency case can involve the same incident but different decisions. Keep the original notice, attachments, witness names, and any video or messages already available to you. Tell counsel if a school meeting is scheduled. Do not assume that resolving the school issue also resolves a police investigation.
A release decision
Florida generally requires a hearing within 24 hours for a child taken into custody and placed in detention care. That hearing addresses probable cause and the need for continued detention. The charge, risk assessment, and statutory criteria matter; a parent’s willingness to bring the child home is only part of the picture.
We review the legal grounds for holding the child and the information used in the risk assessment. A proposed release plan may need a responsible adult, a workable address, transportation, school arrangements, and a way to follow restrictions.
Some allegations carry stricter detention rules. We explain those limits and what evidence may support a request for release. No lawyer can promise the judge’s decision.
For Broward families: confirm where your child is being held before traveling. Use the Department of Juvenile Justice’s current facility instructions for contact and visitation.
Understand the proposed outcome
Before choosing a path, compare three things: the strength of the charge, the obligations your child would accept, and the effect of the resulting record. A quick resolution is useful only when the family understands what it requires.
Eligibility and completion
Diversion may provide an alternative to ordinary prosecution for an eligible child. Availability depends on the allegation, history, and program criteria. We review the actual offer rather than assuming that a first encounter with law enforcement guarantees admission.
Check any required admission, counseling, service hours, restitution, attendance rules, and completion deadline. Ask what happens if a requirement is missed and what document confirms successful completion. A program outcome and an expunction are separate matters.
Florida’s prearrest delinquency citation law excludes offenses involving firearm use or possession. Other eligibility limits also apply. A different program should be evaluated under its own rules.
A program is not a substitute for reviewing the accusation. Where the proof is deficient or unlawfully obtained, we assess whether to seek dismissal, a reduced allegation, exclusion of evidence, or a contested hearing.
We explain the rights the child would give up, the proposed disposition, supervision, and possible placement. Ask about school, treatment, travel, and contact restrictions before agreeing. A withheld adjudication should not be described as if nothing happened.
Florida permits adult prosecution in certain juvenile cases. Age at the alleged offense, the charge, and other statutory criteria affect that risk. We review the applicable route before the family relies on an assumption that every part of the case will remain in juvenile court.
A defense that includes your child
OUR APPROACH AT MILLER & JACOBS
Test the allegation itself
A useful defense separates what someone reported from what can be proved about your child. We assess the alleged conduct, the reliability of the evidence, and how it was obtained. That review informs both a contested hearing and any proposed resolution.
A short clip may begin after a confrontation or omit another person’s actions. We identify available recordings, their sources, and witnesses who saw the events before and after the reported incident. Preserve original files and account details; do not delete or edit material because it looks unhelpful.
Several children being together does not answer what each person did or intended. We examine identification, possession, messages, and the State’s theory of participation. A group accusation still requires an evidence-based assessment of the charge against your child.
We review who questioned the child, the setting, warnings, length of the interview, and any recording. Age, understanding, and the surrounding circumstances can matter. A statement should be evaluated in context rather than treated as the end of the defense.
A bag, phone, vehicle, or room can raise different search issues. We examine who conducted the search, the claimed authority, any consent, and the scope. If there is a lawful basis to challenge evidence, we explain the available motion and what it could affect.
In a contested juvenile adjudicatory hearing, a judge hears the case without a jury. Florida requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt and protects the child’s right against self-incrimination. The child can present evidence and question witnesses through the defense.
Start with the next deadline
Tell Miller & Jacobs your child’s age, the allegation, custody status, and the next scheduled event. If you have only a phone message or a school letter, start there. We can discuss what information is needed for a meaningful case review.
Call 954-465-8733Your initial consultation is free. We explain the proposed representation and fee agreement before you decide to hire the firm.
Useful information for the consultation
Upcoming events: hearing notices, interview requests, school meetings, program deadlines, and the names of the people who contacted you.
Original records: court papers, school letters, messages, and information about where recordings or other evidence may be held.
Practical needs: medication, treatment, school support, transportation, and the adult available to supervise your child.
Know who represents your child
Mark J. Miller or Rick S. Jacobs handles the legal work on your child’s case. Staff assist with scheduling and paperwork; legal decisions and advice stay with the attorney. Tell us what your child needs to understand the process and take part in the discussion.
Partner
Mark’s background includes service as an Assistant State Attorney. His work in criminal cases includes evaluating witness accounts, preparing contested issues, and trying cases. Read his biography for his professional history.
Partner
Rick previously served as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County. His trial background informs his review of the State’s evidence and the choices facing a person accused. His biography provides further details.
Serving Fort Lauderdale from our Pompano Beach office: 1600 S. Federal Highway, Suite 1101, Pompano Beach, FL 33062.
Questions about decisions and records
Keep the detention decision, the outcome of the allegation, and the treatment of the record on separate checklists. Finishing one step does not necessarily resolve the others.
Confirm the custody time, alleged offense, risk assessment, hearing information, and any existing court order. A child taken into custody and placed in detention care generally must receive a hearing within 24 hours. Counsel can challenge the legal basis for detention and present a realistic supervision plan. The judge decides whether continued detention is required.
A parent can help the child understand choices and provide useful information, but should not treat a proposed plea as a routine permission form. The child needs advice about the allegation, available defenses, rights being given up, and possible disposition. Ask counsel to explain the decision directly to the child in language they understand.
Not completely. Florida law permits information sharing and requires school notification in specified circumstances, including certain felony charges. A school notice may also carry its own response deadline. Give counsel the school documents and court papers together so that a response in one process does not overlook consequences in the other.
Read the exact question and obtain the disposition before answering. An arrest, a withheld adjudication, an adjudication of delinquency, and a sealed or expunged record are different. Turning 18 does not itself erase the record. Ask counsel which disclosure rules apply to that application and whether the record qualifies for relief.
Keep the program completion notice and confirm the prosecutor's or court's disposition. Record relief is a separate review. Florida's diversion expunction process requires an application and state attorney certification, and excludes some offenses and histories. A completed program alone should not be treated as proof that every agency record has disappeared.
Show counsel the written requirement, deadline, school schedule, and treatment information promptly. Counsel can determine whether clarification or a change should be requested. Keep proof of attendance and communications. Until an authorized change is made, follow the existing conditions rather than assuming that a scheduling problem excuses noncompliance.
Related allegations and court proceedings
